Bralen Trice labels Washington defense as aggressive

Crunch the numbers on paper and the Washington defense isn’t nearly as good as Michigan‘s, with the two set to try to give their team the edge on Monday night in the national title game.

But while the Huskies might not be quite as statistically sound as the Wolverines, they have certainly been able to make clutch plays when it matters.

Some of that is simply down to the design of the system itself, which many have described as NFL-like. Washington star Bralen Trice isn’t quite sure that’s a perfect description, but he chimed in on the NFL comparisons.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t like — obviously I speak highly of our defense, so I’m not going to compare us to like an NFL-style defense,” Trice said. “But it’s good to hear that people think of us like that. But I like to just focus on what we are ourselves. I don’t like to think too much on that.”

Trice, of course, is a massive part of the Washington defense’s success. An elite, NFL-caliber pass-rushing talent, he’s been able to disrupt offenses’ rhythms throughout the season.

Just ask Texas.

The Longhorns were victimized by Trice a handful of times in the College Football Playoff semifinal, with Trice recording two sacks, three tackles for a loss and a forced fumble. Quarterback Quinn Ewers couldn’t really get comfortable as a result.

As Trice explained, that’s just how the defense is designed. It’s supposed to put players like Trice in position to go change games.

“Yeah, our defense is aggressive,” Trice said. “We fly after the ball on every play. We’re always trying to send people to the quarterback, send people where they need to be at. We’re not going to sit back and wait for you to come.”

The Washington defense will probably have to play a little better than its numbers on Monday night to come out on top.

The Huskies currently rank No. 53 in scoring defense (24.1 points per game allowed), No. 94 in total defense (404.1 yards per game allowed) and No. 120 in passing defense (267.1 yards per game allowed).

Michigan will likely put up some numbers, the question is when and where they come. Do they come chasing the game or do they come with a lead, as Michigan is trying to salt things away?

An aggressive, NFL-like Washington defense could set the tone early and have a lot to say about that question.